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The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More With Less

Synopsis:
In what is certain to be deemed one of the most original, provocative, and powerful books of the decade, successful entrepreneur and investor Richard Koch shows readers how they can achieve much more with much less effort, time, and fewer resources, simply by concentrating on the all-important "twenty percent".

Brief Recommendation:
I have found this book to be very useful.  It discusses  history relating to the "Pareto Principle", and gives very good real-life examples of its possible uses.  Richard Koch, is very readable and has a wonderful vision of not only how to make your life better and more productive, but how the world might be made better by use of these theories.


How to Meditate

Synopsis:
This simple, straightforward yet powerful guide has ready helped hundreds of thousands of people reap the greatest rewards of meditation. Lawrence LeShan's easy-to-follow and realistic approach allows you to bring meditation effortlessly into your life, no matter how busy you are, or how great the demands on your time are. His specific programs and exercises provide proven, practical tools for you to begin your journey and explore the many revealing paths of meditation


Brief Recommendation:
I have found this book to be very useful.  It discusses  several forms of meditation.  It is very easy to read and gives information in a straight-forward, easy-to-understand format.


How to Meditate

Synopsis:
Drawing from numerous Eastern traditions--including yoga, shiatsu, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism--Mike George presents a compilation of essays, illustrations, and quotes to teach you how to relax. There was a time, he points out, "when the quality of being was more important than the quantity of doing--when people themselves were human beings rather than human 'doings.'" We can regain the lost peace of that long-gone time. But don't expect a dry self-help manual; George gives more than just advice. Included in his book are 25 exercises to help you immediately implement the techniques he offers. The topics he covers include breathing, massage, emotional well-being, sleep enhancement, visualization, and time management.



Brief Recommendation:
This is also very easy to read.  While it is not specifically about Meditation.  Several of the exercises provide insights into how to meditate and have helped make my breath counter more useful--specifically exercise number 5 on page 49!

How to Meditate

Synopsis:

This illustrated manual covers both the philosophy and practice of the popular Japanese martial art of Aikido.



Brief Recommendation:
As a practitioner of Aikido, I found this book very helpful.  John Stevens and Shirata Rinjiro have made this book very understandable and the photographs go a long way toward making the book as useful as it is.  If you are looking for breath-meditating techniques there are three forms (one cycle) explained in chapter 5 that I find very invigorating.